JP2005164319A - Self-generating power source for city water meter checking device and automatic city water meter checking system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power source not needing care about the useful life of a battery in a city water meter checking system and dispensing with wiring to another commercial power source. <P>SOLUTION: This power source comprises an enclosure connected to a water pipe, a rotary vane with its rotary shaft supported on the enclosure, and a generator driven by the rotary shaft. City water with its flow rate measured is introduced into the enclosure. The rotary vane is rotated by the fluid energy of the city water under measurement, and the generator is caused to generate electric power to charge the power source of a city water meter checking system for flow rate measurement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-power generation power source for a tap water metering device that supplies power for an electronic circuit of a system for measuring the amount of tap water used by self-power generation that obtains energy from the flow of tap water, and tap water automatic using the power source. It relates to the meter reading system.

Conventionally, the amount of tap water used to be measured manually by the patrols, but in recent years, with the development of computer technology and the use of electronic water meters, a command from the computer of the meter reading center, Automatic meter reading came to be performed. Examples of automatic meter reading techniques can be found in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Since the water meter is often installed a little away from a building such as a house, it is rarely connected to a commercial power supply, and most water meters have a built-in battery such as a lithium battery. For this reason, since the capacity of the battery has to be replaced in about eight years, and the number of water meters installed is large, management has become troublesome. An example of such a water meter reading system is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the output form of the flow rate sensor 31 connected to the water pipe and detecting the flow rate of tap water is proportional to the flow rate such as a digital amount that takes out the rotation of the impeller as a pulse and an electromagnetic flow meter. There is an analog amount that produces an electromotive force. In the case of an analog quantity, it is once converted into a digital quantity by the AD converter 32, taken in by the computer 33, and stored in the memory 34. The data is displayed on a display 36 such as an LCD via the display controller 35 as necessary. The meter reading data is wirelessly transmitted to a nearby wireless terminal 38 via a computer 33 and a wireless transmitter 37. For example, meter reading data is read in accordance with an instruction from the meter reading center computer 39 at an appropriate interval such as once a month. The flow rate sensor 31 to the wireless transmitter 37 are made as a group of water meter systems and are driven by a power source 30, and the power source 30 mainly uses a lithium battery.
JP2002-81973 JP-A-9-96553

    The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a power supply that does not need to worry about the battery life of the above-described water meter reading system, and that does not require wiring for other commercial power supplies, and a medical examination system using the power supply. .

    The present invention uses the flow of tap water to generate hydroelectric power and supply power to the meter reading system. In other words, since it is a self-power source that uses energy from the object to be measured, no other power source is required. .

The invention according to claim 1 is a self-power generation power source for a tap water meter-reading device, a casing connected to a water pipe, a rotating blade having a rotating shaft pivotally supported on the casing, and power generation driven by the rotating shaft And measuring the flow rate by introducing the tap water whose flow rate is to be measured into the enclosure and rotating the rotor blades with the fluid energy of the measured tap water to cause the generator to generate power. It is characterized by charging the power source of the water meter reading system.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the self-power generation power source for a tap water metering device according to the first aspect, the rotary blade is an axial flow type impeller or a tangential flow type impeller.

A third aspect of the present invention is the self-power generation power source for a tap water metering device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the self-power generation power source for the tap water metering device and the water sensor unit for measuring the flow rate are integrated. It is characterized by that.

Invention of Claim 4 is a tap water automatic meter-reading system, Comprising: The flow sensor which measures the flow volume of tap water, The computer and memory which control or memorize | store the data of the said flow measurement, For wirelessly transmitting the said data A water meter reading system including at least a wireless transmitter, a housing connected to a water pipe, a rotating blade having a rotating shaft pivotally supported by the housing, and a generator driven by the rotating shaft, The tap water to be measured is introduced into the housing, and the power generator generates electricity by rotating the rotor blade with the fluid energy of the tap water to be measured to measure the flow rate. It has the self-power-generation power supply for tap water meter-reading apparatuses which charges a power supply.

The invention according to claim 5 is the tap water automatic meter reading system according to claim 4, wherein the rotary blade is an axial flow type impeller or a tangential flow type impeller.

The invention according to claim 6 is the tap water automatic meter reading system according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the tap meter reading system and the self-power generation power source for the tap water meter reading device are integrally configured. .

Since it is configured as described above, a self-power supply using energy from the object to be measured is possible, and no other power supply is required. Also, there is no need to worry about battery life.

The self-power generation power source for a tap water meter reading device according to the present invention is used by being connected to a water pipe, has an impeller that rotates in response to the flow rate of tap water, rotates the generator by rotating the impeller, and generates power. However, if it is made integrally with a water meter, no wiring is required and the most efficient form is obtained. The present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a self-power generation power source for a tap water metering device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an example having an axial flow type impeller 11, and tap water enters from the input unit 12 and exits from the output unit 13. In the meantime, the axial-flow impeller 11 pivotally supported by the housing 14 is rotated, and the rotation is transmitted to the generator 16 through the rotating shaft 15 to generate power. The power generation output is taken out from the lead wire 17 and given to the secondary battery or other secondary battery of the nearby meter-reading system to be charged. Since the generated power is stored in the secondary battery every time water is used, the power will never be reduced and there is no worry about the battery life. In addition, lead wiring is minimized.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a self-power generation power source for a tap water metering device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example having a tangential flow impeller 21, and tap water enters from the input unit 12 and exits from the output unit 13. In the meantime, the tangential flow type impeller 21 supported by the housing 14 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the generator 16 by the rotating shaft 15, and the power generation output is taken out from the lead wire 17, and the lithium battery of the nearby meter reading system It is given to other secondary batteries and charged. Since the generated power is stored in the secondary battery every time water is used, the power will never be reduced and there is no worry about the battery life. In addition, lead wiring is minimized.

In the above example, the output of the generator seems to charge the secondary battery directly, but the generator output is pulsating, and it goes without saying that it passes through a circuit that determines rectification, smoothing and voltage. It is.
The self-power generation power source for the tap water meter reading device is particularly effective when it is formed integrally with the water meter of the electronic water meter reading system.

  The self-power generation power supply for tap water metering devices as described above is a self-power generation power source that converts the energy of the object to be measured, which is tap water, into hydroelectric power generation, so no other power source is required. It is most suitable as a power supply for an automatic meter reading system using radio.

It is a figure which shows one embodiment of the self-power-generation power supply for tap water meter-reading apparatuses which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows another embodiment of the self-power-generation power supply for tap water meter-reading apparatuses which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional water supply automatic meter-reading system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Axial flow type impeller 12 Input part 13 Output part 14 Housing 15 Rotating shaft 16 Generator 17 Lead wire 21 Tangent flow type impeller 31 Flow rate sensor 32 AD converter 33 Computer 34 Memory 35 Display controller 36 Indicator 37 Wireless transmitter 38 Wireless terminal 39 Meter reading center computer

Claims (6)

A housing connected to a water pipe, a rotor blade having a rotating shaft pivotally supported by the housing, and a generator driven by the rotating shaft, introducing tap water to be measured for flow into the housing; Self-power generation for a tap water meter reading device, wherein the power is generated by the generator by rotating the rotor blade with the fluid energy of the tap water to be measured and the power source of the tap meter reading system for measuring the flow rate is charged. Power supply. The self-power generation power source for a tap water meter-reading device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary blade is an axial flow type impeller or a tangential flow type impeller.     The self-power-generating power source for tap water meter-reading device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the self-power-generating power source for tap-water meter-reading device and the water sensor unit for measuring the flow rate are integrally configured.     A water meter reading system including at least a flow rate sensor for measuring the flow rate of tap water, a computer and a memory for controlling or storing data of the flow rate measurement, and a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the data, and connected to a water pipe A rotating blade having a rotating shaft pivotally supported by the casing, and a generator driven by the rotating shaft, introducing the tap water to be measured for flow rate into the casing, A self-power generation power source for a tap water metering device that generates power by the generator by rotating the rotor blade with fluid energy of measured tap water and charges the power source of the tap metering system that performs the flow rate measurement; A tap water automatic meter reading system. The tap water automatic meter reading system according to claim 4, wherein the rotary blade is an axial flow type impeller or a tangential flow type impeller. 6. The tap water automatic meter reading system according to claim 4, wherein the tap meter reading system and the self-power generation power source for the tap water meter reading device are integrally configured.

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